Alice combed her hair for the last time in front of the mirror of the dressing table in her room, and from every way she looked, it didn't look good enough for a proper occasion. Her dress was all that she had which was understandable (as she would have easily changed into something more fancy if it were available) and she would have to make do with her current outfit, augmented by her hair.
"I'm not sure if I should go like this!" she spoke to herself as she slumped into her hands on the table.
"I think I could do with a little on the top" came her voice, but it wasn't from her.
Alice suddenly looked up into the mirror to see that her reflection was sitting almost in the exact same stance she was but, she had a more curious look on her face.
"Are you my reflection? Reflections don't talk back!" Alice spoke to it and for her, the idea of talking to ones' self was radically changed.
"Well I'm offering a second opinion, if it's welcome?" her reflection asked
"Of course it's welcome but what do you think I should do?"
Her reflection looked through the drawers on her side of the looking glass and rummaged around until she smiled to herself with delight. Alice did find it extremely disconcerting to see herself doing things in the mirror whilst she was remaining stationary
"In the top drawer of the table there are some hairpins, you could use those to put your hair up if you like. And I think you should as we both look a little plain for an important occasion."
Alice though herself to be a little to "high minded" for her own opinion, but it was a throwback from before her parents had died when she used to like dressing up for tea parties she created for that had obviously had survived in the back of her mind an in her reflections as well. But she began to question the mind of her reflection as she opened the top drawer and found it empty. Suddenly she remembered why.
"My draw is empty and yours isn't because you are through the looking glass and everything is opposite in that world." Alice complained and folded her arms. Winning an argument with ones self was quite satisfying to her. Alice now assumed she must be the better one than her reflection and was unconsciously gloating. Her reflection simply replied with a bland smile and slammed her fist down onto the desk top and said "Try now"
Alice opened the drawer once more and was surprised to find at least a dozen hair clips and two hairbrushes of better quality than her current one. Alice was about to ask how, but hesitated as she didn't want to give her reflection the satisfaction of triumph so started to change her hairstyle with the help of her reflection who had regressed to her normal imitating and mimicking self. As She proceeded to pamper her hair into new shapes, she admitted to herself that she ad missed the experience and had even caught herself smiling from time to time in the mirror, and she was definitely sure it was not her imagination playing tricks with her again as she felt good inside. The sensations of well being that accompanied a girl making herself look more beautiful had been denied for many years as the grief from the accident and the age inside Rutledges had crept across her like a miserable shadow, so she was looking forward to tonight.
But as the officers and their guests were getting ready for a special occasion, someone was trying to arrange a meeting of their own.
Down in the crewman's decks a single bandersnatch was making his way down to the auxiliary broadcast room with his own plans and agendas. The person of course was Shift Bandersnatch who had just been released from the hold earlier than usual because of his Invitation to the dinner as a senior officer on board. He was the chief of the security guard and they followed his orders, but there was a dividing line amongst the forces. Some of them were loyal to him and the minority of the guards were on the side of the captain because of their status on the mainland, but there were other reasons as well. The well fables Banderwatcher corps had enlisted the services of some citizens at the request of the Ordermaster to be where their mechanical eyes couldn't be, and such people usually had this status hidden from everyone else as the prospect of being followed or watched was unnerving and offensive to some people. Shift Bandersnatch was one of those people as were some of the guards under his control and they had endeavoured to make any and all sacrifices to make sure no-one else knew. The captain knew of course but he always felt there was nothing worth looking for on his ship, a foolish thought to Shift as there were always discontents everywhere. He crept into the transmitter room and began to fiddle with the controls almost like a veteran. Although he was head of the cargo division, his training for the Banderwatchers had helped him with communications and a modest amount of technical training. The Bandersnatch had discovered that the Jabberwock communicate to each other with the beams of electricity they emit from their eyes (when they're not actually talking to you that is) and the bandersnatch have made use of this by taking the eyes and using them for communication. This wonderful discovery was made by Bandersnatch opticals technicians who are amongst the brightest of all the technicians living on the island and some of the brightest in the world! Unfortunately, Shift was not among them.
He reached into the natter-box and began to talk to anyone in the direction the eye above him was pointing.
"Bandersnatch opticals, Bandersnatch opticals. This is Shift Bandersnatch on the trading vessel Floggit. Can anyone hear me?" he spoke, his gruff voice rumbling in the back of his throat.
For a few minutes there was nothing but the electric crackle of the eye receiving no signal until suddenly a voice came through on the speaker.
"This Is Bandersnatch Opticals how may I help you?" replied a mechanical sounding voice, almost devoid of humanity (or bandersnatchity) only hinted by the tone with which it asked the question. Shift however was not impressed.
"I wish to speak to the Banderwatcher corp. controller on duty!" he ordered.
"One moment and I will channel you through sir." Groaned the machine who was then cut off by a click, followed by silence once more. All this waiting was getting Shift irritated as he drummed his fingers on the desk of the transmitter and started to breathe more heavily. Not many people knew he was a member of the Banderwatchers and that's just the way he liked it and to make up excuses if he was caught, he was not looking forward to. Finally the silence was broken by a single deep voice emerging from the receiver of his natterbox. It was plain and to the point.
"Banderwatcher corps. Please give agent number." It spoke and all was silent again, so shift replied quickly.
"Agent number 101 wishing to report." Was his reply. Bluntness and directness was why the Banderwatchers were feared for their efficiency, like clockwork.
"Stand by, verifying" came the reply. More waiting.
"Damn I hate this part." Said Shift to himself. "It's me, Shift on the trade ship Floggit."
Of course no reply came from the box as the agents were trained not to listen to any excuses as their records were flawless.
"Identity verified," came the voice. A mistake in the records was almost impossible to even think of. "Shift Bandersnatch proceed with your report."
"About bloody time!" he said angrily, but quietly as not to be overheard.
"Just report Shift!" said the voice losing it's patience.
"Alright then, Well this is big! Do you hear me Big news!"
A slight pause was followed by a curious "go on?"
"Well she's on the ship and she's headed for the island now. We'll be there tomorrow morning"
He smiled as he head the voice on the other end of the natterbox gasp and he heard something clang as he dropped his drink on the floor in surprise. He knew this would get him more credit as good news always did and the Banderwatchers had been waiting for this to happen. Or more specifically the Ordermaker had.
"Very well, Shift." The voice answered back, slightly shaken "Report understood and is measures are now being taken on the island. As you are close to us don't lose sight of her!"
"I know that! I'm not stupid!" he almost shouted down into the natterbox, but controlled himself.
"Well you'd better be careful because this report is going to the Ordermaker straight away! And the bounty on her head was removed and replaced with the punishment of mechanisation so don't get any ideas! Banderwatcher home-base, out!" and a slight crackle of electricity cracked over the receiver as it fell silent once more.
The mood of the Bandersnatch sitting in the communications room suddenly and radically shifted from fear to total shock. Poor shift now felt as if he had now swam to beyond his depth and he didn't like it. He would be at the dinner table sitting amongst the officers and the young madam herself. The news of her imminent arrival was now being circulated through the island to all who needed to know, especially the Ordermaker. HE had done a lot of good for the island bringing stability and uniting the people. But still a dark shadow hung over him as he would only see a few select visitors and he controlled so much on the island. It was a daunting prospect which he had not time to dwell on as Shift ran down the corridor back towards his cabin to get ready for dinner.
Meanwhile Alice in her cabin had tidied her dress as best as she could and had arranged her hair to a rather swirling pattern which rested above her head thanks to the guidance of her reflection. She looked in the mirror and felt a reduced sense of pride as she looked nicer than she had ever looked before with her hair all arranged and her outfit spotless. She felt feminine again without losing anything and she was enjoying it. Her mind was interrupted by the captain opening the door with Bricks and Lash, smartly dressed in their blue dress uniforms looking very fetching standing behind him.
"you look lovely Miss Alice," he began almost at surprise at her new look "It is time to go to the party".
"I'm not sure if I should go like this!" she spoke to herself as she slumped into her hands on the table.
"I think I could do with a little on the top" came her voice, but it wasn't from her.
Alice suddenly looked up into the mirror to see that her reflection was sitting almost in the exact same stance she was but, she had a more curious look on her face.
"Are you my reflection? Reflections don't talk back!" Alice spoke to it and for her, the idea of talking to ones' self was radically changed.
"Well I'm offering a second opinion, if it's welcome?" her reflection asked
"Of course it's welcome but what do you think I should do?"
Her reflection looked through the drawers on her side of the looking glass and rummaged around until she smiled to herself with delight. Alice did find it extremely disconcerting to see herself doing things in the mirror whilst she was remaining stationary
"In the top drawer of the table there are some hairpins, you could use those to put your hair up if you like. And I think you should as we both look a little plain for an important occasion."
Alice though herself to be a little to "high minded" for her own opinion, but it was a throwback from before her parents had died when she used to like dressing up for tea parties she created for that had obviously had survived in the back of her mind an in her reflections as well. But she began to question the mind of her reflection as she opened the top drawer and found it empty. Suddenly she remembered why.
"My draw is empty and yours isn't because you are through the looking glass and everything is opposite in that world." Alice complained and folded her arms. Winning an argument with ones self was quite satisfying to her. Alice now assumed she must be the better one than her reflection and was unconsciously gloating. Her reflection simply replied with a bland smile and slammed her fist down onto the desk top and said "Try now"
Alice opened the drawer once more and was surprised to find at least a dozen hair clips and two hairbrushes of better quality than her current one. Alice was about to ask how, but hesitated as she didn't want to give her reflection the satisfaction of triumph so started to change her hairstyle with the help of her reflection who had regressed to her normal imitating and mimicking self. As She proceeded to pamper her hair into new shapes, she admitted to herself that she ad missed the experience and had even caught herself smiling from time to time in the mirror, and she was definitely sure it was not her imagination playing tricks with her again as she felt good inside. The sensations of well being that accompanied a girl making herself look more beautiful had been denied for many years as the grief from the accident and the age inside Rutledges had crept across her like a miserable shadow, so she was looking forward to tonight.
But as the officers and their guests were getting ready for a special occasion, someone was trying to arrange a meeting of their own.
Down in the crewman's decks a single bandersnatch was making his way down to the auxiliary broadcast room with his own plans and agendas. The person of course was Shift Bandersnatch who had just been released from the hold earlier than usual because of his Invitation to the dinner as a senior officer on board. He was the chief of the security guard and they followed his orders, but there was a dividing line amongst the forces. Some of them were loyal to him and the minority of the guards were on the side of the captain because of their status on the mainland, but there were other reasons as well. The well fables Banderwatcher corps had enlisted the services of some citizens at the request of the Ordermaster to be where their mechanical eyes couldn't be, and such people usually had this status hidden from everyone else as the prospect of being followed or watched was unnerving and offensive to some people. Shift Bandersnatch was one of those people as were some of the guards under his control and they had endeavoured to make any and all sacrifices to make sure no-one else knew. The captain knew of course but he always felt there was nothing worth looking for on his ship, a foolish thought to Shift as there were always discontents everywhere. He crept into the transmitter room and began to fiddle with the controls almost like a veteran. Although he was head of the cargo division, his training for the Banderwatchers had helped him with communications and a modest amount of technical training. The Bandersnatch had discovered that the Jabberwock communicate to each other with the beams of electricity they emit from their eyes (when they're not actually talking to you that is) and the bandersnatch have made use of this by taking the eyes and using them for communication. This wonderful discovery was made by Bandersnatch opticals technicians who are amongst the brightest of all the technicians living on the island and some of the brightest in the world! Unfortunately, Shift was not among them.
He reached into the natter-box and began to talk to anyone in the direction the eye above him was pointing.
"Bandersnatch opticals, Bandersnatch opticals. This is Shift Bandersnatch on the trading vessel Floggit. Can anyone hear me?" he spoke, his gruff voice rumbling in the back of his throat.
For a few minutes there was nothing but the electric crackle of the eye receiving no signal until suddenly a voice came through on the speaker.
"This Is Bandersnatch Opticals how may I help you?" replied a mechanical sounding voice, almost devoid of humanity (or bandersnatchity) only hinted by the tone with which it asked the question. Shift however was not impressed.
"I wish to speak to the Banderwatcher corp. controller on duty!" he ordered.
"One moment and I will channel you through sir." Groaned the machine who was then cut off by a click, followed by silence once more. All this waiting was getting Shift irritated as he drummed his fingers on the desk of the transmitter and started to breathe more heavily. Not many people knew he was a member of the Banderwatchers and that's just the way he liked it and to make up excuses if he was caught, he was not looking forward to. Finally the silence was broken by a single deep voice emerging from the receiver of his natterbox. It was plain and to the point.
"Banderwatcher corps. Please give agent number." It spoke and all was silent again, so shift replied quickly.
"Agent number 101 wishing to report." Was his reply. Bluntness and directness was why the Banderwatchers were feared for their efficiency, like clockwork.
"Stand by, verifying" came the reply. More waiting.
"Damn I hate this part." Said Shift to himself. "It's me, Shift on the trade ship Floggit."
Of course no reply came from the box as the agents were trained not to listen to any excuses as their records were flawless.
"Identity verified," came the voice. A mistake in the records was almost impossible to even think of. "Shift Bandersnatch proceed with your report."
"About bloody time!" he said angrily, but quietly as not to be overheard.
"Just report Shift!" said the voice losing it's patience.
"Alright then, Well this is big! Do you hear me Big news!"
A slight pause was followed by a curious "go on?"
"Well she's on the ship and she's headed for the island now. We'll be there tomorrow morning"
He smiled as he head the voice on the other end of the natterbox gasp and he heard something clang as he dropped his drink on the floor in surprise. He knew this would get him more credit as good news always did and the Banderwatchers had been waiting for this to happen. Or more specifically the Ordermaker had.
"Very well, Shift." The voice answered back, slightly shaken "Report understood and is measures are now being taken on the island. As you are close to us don't lose sight of her!"
"I know that! I'm not stupid!" he almost shouted down into the natterbox, but controlled himself.
"Well you'd better be careful because this report is going to the Ordermaker straight away! And the bounty on her head was removed and replaced with the punishment of mechanisation so don't get any ideas! Banderwatcher home-base, out!" and a slight crackle of electricity cracked over the receiver as it fell silent once more.
The mood of the Bandersnatch sitting in the communications room suddenly and radically shifted from fear to total shock. Poor shift now felt as if he had now swam to beyond his depth and he didn't like it. He would be at the dinner table sitting amongst the officers and the young madam herself. The news of her imminent arrival was now being circulated through the island to all who needed to know, especially the Ordermaker. HE had done a lot of good for the island bringing stability and uniting the people. But still a dark shadow hung over him as he would only see a few select visitors and he controlled so much on the island. It was a daunting prospect which he had not time to dwell on as Shift ran down the corridor back towards his cabin to get ready for dinner.
Meanwhile Alice in her cabin had tidied her dress as best as she could and had arranged her hair to a rather swirling pattern which rested above her head thanks to the guidance of her reflection. She looked in the mirror and felt a reduced sense of pride as she looked nicer than she had ever looked before with her hair all arranged and her outfit spotless. She felt feminine again without losing anything and she was enjoying it. Her mind was interrupted by the captain opening the door with Bricks and Lash, smartly dressed in their blue dress uniforms looking very fetching standing behind him.
"you look lovely Miss Alice," he began almost at surprise at her new look "It is time to go to the party".